This application is a 371 of PCT/IB96/01080 filed Aug. 1, 1996.
The present invention relates to an improved collapsible umbrella tent and specifically to an improved clevis assembly which has an improved locking mechanism. The improved clevis assembly may further contain an enhanced feature for adding a separate fly adaptor assembly to which a fly sheet may be added to such tents.
Umbrella tents have a long history of existence and use. Collapsible umbrella tents date back to the beginning of this century and have usually included a collapsible frame on which the fabric or other flexible sheet material of the tent is supported when the tent has been erected. The reference to xe2x80x9cumbrellaxe2x80x9d tents is commonly used in the commercial trades because such tents can be erected and dismantled in much the same manner as an umbrella. An example of a contemporary umbrella tent can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,936. Other examples of collapsible umbrella tents can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,033,366; 3,929,146; 3,794,054; 3,000,386; 1,666,757; 1,124,420; and 1,079,757. Generally, tents of the umbrella type are normally comprised of a collapsible frame which has a plurality of legs pivoted at their upper ends by a clevis assembly having an upper clevis member and a lower clevis member. Each leg has a radial stay member that is attached from the upper end of the leg and faces inward with each stay member connected inwardly to a lower clevis member. The upper and lower clevis members are designed to engage when the tent is erected. The upper clevis member may contain a central downwardly opening recess, while the lower clevis member contains a central upwardly projecting pin, post or rod as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,936. Alternatively, the upper clevis member may contain a central downwardly projecting pin, post or rod, while the lower clevis member contains a central opening recess as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,146. One disadvantage of these tents lie in this arrangement of the locking mechanism for the joining of the lower and upper clevis members when the tent is erected. This disadvantage is due, in part, to the torque and twist forces put on the clevis members as the tent is erected. Thus, one object of the present invention is to improve the locking mechanism of collapsible umbrella type tents.
Collapsible tents have been made with the frame exterior to the tent fabric (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,936), or with the frame interior to the tent fabric (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,146). Either type of tent can also be provided with fly covers which provide an air space between the tent fabric and the fly cover. (A fly cover is sometimes referred to herein as a fly sheet or simply a fly.) This air space can act as a water barrier and an insulator for the user. Although a fly cover has previously been applied to collapsible tents with an exterior frame, it is desired to improve the attachment of a fly cover to the external frame collapsible tents in order to expedite the setup of the tent and fly cover. In addition, collapsible tents with an internal frame do not normally have the technical design to accommodate the addition of a fly cover when needed. Thus, one object of the invention is to provide a fly adaptor assembly and a modified clevis assembly for the optional attachment of the fly adaptor assembly to the modified clevis member to aid in securing a fly cover to a collapsible tent.
The present invention is directed to a modified clevis assembly for collapsible tents. The clevis assembly is modified so that it contains a conical pin (post or rod) entry guide on a first clevis member to allow safe directing of the tip of the pin on a second clevis member into the recess of the first clevis member. In the modified clevis assembly the pin is guided into the recess should any torque or twist to the frame occur when the tent is erected due to the inherent flexibility of the materials used in the construction of tent frames and the tendency for the user to inadvertently apply force off of vertical through pressure from the user""s hands when moving the lower clevis member toward the upper clevis member. In one embodiment, the upper clevis member is modified to include a central downwardly opening recess in its under side that advantageously includes a conical pin entry guide to allow for the safe directing of the tip of the upwardly facing pin centrally located in the center of the upper surface of the lower clevis member. The conical pin entry guide forms an integral part of the under surface of the upper clevis member. The conical pin entry guide may be modified to include a downwardly extending shroud extension which is an integral part of the upper clevis member.
In a second embodiment, the lower clevis member is modified to include a central upwardly opening recess in its upper side that advantageously includes a conical pin entry guide to allow for the safe directing of the tip of the downwardly facing pin centrally located in the center of the under surface of the upper clevis member. The conical pin entry guide preferably forms an integral part of the upper surface of the lower clevis member. The conical pin entry guide may be modified to include an upwardly extending shroud extension which is an integral part of the lower clevis member.
The clevis assembly is further optionally modified to include in or on the upper clevis member means to receive a fly adaptor assembly. In one embodiment, the upper clevis member is modified to have a centrally located hollow core extending from the center of the upper surface of the upper clevis member vertically through the center of the upper clevis member out the base of the upper clevis member to the apex of the conical pin entry guide. In a second embodiment, this centrally located hollow core is replaced by a centrally located fly adaptor receptacle in the upper surface of the upper clevis member. In a third embodiment, the upper clevis member includes a centrally and vertically protruding pin from the upper surface of the upper clevis member.
The present invention is further directed to a fly adaptor assembly. The fly adaptor assembly advantageously allows the user to mount the fly cover on an as needed basis on a collapsible umbrella tent. The fly adaptor assembly is advantageously used with such tents in which the frame is located interior to the tent fabric. The fly adaptor assembly comprises a single clevis member with a plurality of arms. Centrally mounted on the underside of the fly adaptor assembly""s clevis member is a means to attach the fly adaptor to the modified upper clevis member of the collapsible tent""s frame. The attachment means of the fly adaptor is designed to mate with the fly adaptor receiving means of the upper clevis member of the tent frame.